Ram Dixit Research Group

Washington University in St Louis

How do cortical microtubule arrays form and guide directional cell expansion in plant cells? The group investigates cortical microtubule organization using single-molecule imaging, live-cell imaging, molecular genetics and computer simulations to connect molecular activities to cellular-level organization. Researchers study how microtubule-associated proteins such as SPIRAL2 stabilize microtubule minus ends and influence array dynamics through biochemical and structural approaches. The lab performs mechanochemical mapping of Arabidopsis primary cell walls using atomic force microscopy–infrared spectroscopy to relate wall mechanics to growth patterns. Ongoing projects include multiscale studies of epidermal coordination during chiral root growth to link tissue-scale symmetry breaking to cell mechanics.